Welsh Flag - History, Facts and Downloads for the National Flag of Wales Welsh Flag Welsh Flag – Flag of Wales – Y Ddraig Goch Facts about Wales GDP per capita: $30,546 (2006 estimate) Currency: UK £ GBP Government: Welsh Assembly and UK Parliament Patron Saint: Saint David (Dewi Sant) About the Flag The Welsh flag is one of the most recognisable in the world. It is one of only three national flags to display a mythological creature, the other two being the Snow Lion flag of Tibet and the Thunder Dragon flag of Bhutan. It is often said that it is one of the oldest national flags in Europe although this is almost impossible to verify. Certainly, the association of the Red Dragon with the people of Wales has existed far longer than that of the English with the Cross of St George. However, it was not made the official flag of Wales until 1959 and before then many alternatives had been in use. How long has the Red Dragon been a symbol of Wales? The short answer is that it was probably a symbol of the Celts in Britain since the time of the Romans and probably well before the Anglo-Saxon invasion in the 5th century.

History of the Flag The Welsh flag mixes two major influences, namely that of the Red Dragon and the colours green and white, taken from the heraldry of the Tudor family. The House of Tudor was a Welsh aristocratic family who seized the throne of England at the Battle of Bosworth, ending the 15th-century War of the Roses. On the 22nd of August 1485 Henry Tudor (Harri Tudur) marched into this battle carrying this version of the Red Dragon. By the end of that day he had been crowned King Henry VII on a small hill near the village of Stoke Golding before marching with the standard proudly on display to London. The origins of the Red Dragon as a symbol of the Celtic people of Britain and later Wales are, however, far older. The oldest historical mention of this symbol in relation to the Welsh people is to be found in the Historia Britonnum (History of Britain) written or compiled by the the Welsh monk Nennius c. AD 830.

Reconstructing the early history of Great Britain from ancient legends he writes a story of a boy born without a father, an apparent virgin birth, who is called before the wicked King Vortigern, last of the Celtic kings of Britain. At this stage in history the Anglo-Saxons were a small invading force who had yet to claim much land in what was later to become England. The boy reveals to the King two serpents, one white and one red, who had been hidden deep underground. They began to fight and the white serpent three times threw the red serpent down, apparently winning the battle, until finally the red one summoned his strength and drove him away.

The story is then explained by the mysterious child: “the two serpents are two dragons; the red serpent is your dragon, but the white serpent is the dragon of the people who occupy several provinces and districts of Britain, even almost from sea to sea: at length, however, our people shall rise and drive away the Saxon race from beyond the sea, whence they originally came.” (Source: The fact that Nennius chose to lend credence to this story in the early 9th century demonstrates that the red dragon had likely been an emblem of the Welsh people for a long time before. There is even evidence to suggest that it was a widespread symbol of British society as early as the Roman occupation. The Origins and Meaning of the Dragon When the Romans were conquering much of Britain after AD43 they brought with them much of their culture and symbolism. The dragon was one of the most prominent symbols of the Roman military. Roman Legions, military units of a hundred men commanded by a Legate, were led into battle by someone carrying an eagle mounted on a pole. The legions were themselves usually sub-divided into ten smaller Cohorts and each of these would, in turn, be led into battle by a standard-bearer carrying a dragon.

This dragon was composed of a wolf’s head with a forked tongue and a serpent-like body made of fabric which would ripple out in the wind. Some accounts of Roman battles have implied that these dragons would be fitted with a sort of whistle in their mouths to screech as the soldiers charged into battle. The Romans themselves had taken this dragon primarily from the Dacians in Eastern Europe who had also used it as a battle standard, although Roman dragon mythology also betrays Greek and Iranian influences. In other words, there is no clear distinction between European and Asian dragons and the dragons on the flags of Bhutan and Wales should be considered symbolic cousins. After centuries of extracting resources from Britain (including gold, copper and tin from mines in Wales and western England) the Romans finally abandoned the colony c. AD 410. At a time when the Roman Empire was finding it difficult to defend its widespread colonial interests it had eventually become more effort than it was worth to continue to subdue the island province of Britannia. They left behind a Romano-British society of Celts who had until then been Roman citizens and who spoke a mixture of Britonic languages and Celticised Latin.

In the absence of Roman leadership a British monarchy evolved, many of whom used the dragon as a primary symbol of their monarchical power. The lives of these Kings are recorded only in legend and the most famous of these are Uther Pendragon and his son King Arthur. Pendragon’s name is a mixture of Latin and Britonic and means “head dragon” or “chief dragon” and partly on this basis many have assumed that the battle flag of the legendary King Arthur would have been an ancestor of the Red Dragon of Wales. Further evidence for the idea that the dragon was a symbol of the Britonic (Celtic) peoples of Britain comes in the form of the Anglo-Saxon poem ‘The Wanderer’. It’s hard to tell exactly when, but this poem could have been composed at any time from the 6th to the 10th century in English Britain. The poem is a tale of an old warrior who has been banished from his home country and wanders in exile in a desolate land. In it, the protagonist comes across a “weal wundrum heah, wyrmlicum fah” or in Modern English “a wall, woundrously high, decorated with serpents [dragons?]”.

Scholars have struggled with these lines but one possible explanation is that when the Anglo Saxons invaded Britain they discovered the ruins of Romano-British villas decorated with dragons. If we assume that this was a widespread symbol of the British culture of the day then this would make sense. According to this theory the memory of this Romano-British symbol was preserved in their culture until much later, partly in the form of this poem. As the Anglo-Saxons slowly consolidated their position in the East of Britain, and eventually established English kingdoms there, those who wished to maintain their Britonic culture inevitably had to flee. Wales was far away from the main centres of Anglo-Saxon power and partly protected from invasion by its challenging terrain, leading it to become the centre of Celtic culture in Britain. As the Britons converged on Wales they brought with them their language, which would eventually evolve into Modern Welsh, and national symbols including the dragon. From then on the dragon had begun its second life as a symbol of the Celtic nation of Wales.

As a result, it would become enshrined in Welsh literature through Geoffrey of Monmouth’s Historia Regum Britanniae (History of the Kings of Britain) and the masterpiece of medieval Welsh folklore, the Mabinogion. Finally the association was cemented when it was taken up various Welsh kings and leaders, especially the 7th-century Cadwaladr ap Cadwallon, King of Gwynedd. On the topic of surviving elements of Britonic culture, it is also worth noting that a dragon-like symbol has survived as an emblem of the county of Dorset in the form of the wyvern. The area has longstanding Celtic connections and indeed there have been suggestions that the Anglo-Saxon Kingdom of Wessex that was once based in the area betrayed greater Britonic influence than any of the other Kingdoms. The idea that the dragon may have survived in multiple Celtic societies with minimal influence on one another testifies to the importance that this symbol may have had to the pre Anglo-Saxon British. Throughout its history the use of dragon symbolism has been associated with war and aggression.

In its association with Wales from the time of Nennius at least it has come to mean something nearer to a “never say die” attitude, indomitable in the face of cultural hegemony and ferocious in the defence of its own identity. It is a symbol that has served as an emblem of the Celtic British since before records began and whose cultural significance shows no sign of waning in the early twenty-first century. Thus, Y Ddraig Goch itself can be said to represent the tenacity of national identity, its symbols and institutions. Wales: History of Welsh Flags This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website Wales: History of Welsh Flags Cymru United Kingdom History of Welsh Flags Here is a brief summary of what Perrin in British Flags and Giles-Scott in The Romance of Heraldry have written about the dragon. A dragon was the standard of a Roman cohort which was a tenth of a legion. After the Romans left Britain it was used by both the Britons and the Saxons. A golden dragon was the principal war standard of the Saxons of Wessex, and was carried by them at the battle of Burford in 752.

In the eleventh century battles the king positioned himself between his personal standard, which was the rallying point and the dragon standard which was carried by a standard bearer chosen for his strength and prowess. After the battle of Hastings the dragon standard was adopted by the Normans. No record of its use in Scotland after the battle of the Standard in 1138,where it was borne as the Scottish royal standard. A dragon standard was taken on the Third Crusade by Richard I in 1191. A dragon was borne by the English army at the battle of Lewes in 1216 and later Henry III had a dragon standard made to be placed in the re-built Abbey at Westminster. Used by Edward I, Edward III at the battle of Crécy 1346, Henry V at the battle of Agincourt 1415, and at the battle of Bosworth in 1485, after which it was carried in state to St Paul's Cathedral. Henry VII displayed the red dragon of Cadwallader, from whom he claimed descent, on the Tudor colours of white and green. Until this time it was probably golden.

The supporters of the English royal arms were a lion and a dragon, but the latter was replaced by a unicorn for Scotland by the Stuarts. The dragon reappeared briefly as a supporter of the arms of the Commonwealth under Cromwell. David Prothero, 28 January 1998 [Note: The following is excerpted from " A History of the Red Dragon " by Carl Lofmark, edited by G.A. Wells The origins of the Welsh Dragon were undoubtedly the Roman "draconi" standards of the cohorts, which were far more numerous than the legions, particularly after the gradual withdrawal of the latter. "... the people who were left behind when the legions withdrew forever must most naturally have thought of the Dragon as the symbol of that Roman civilisation to which they belonged and which they were now defending against the ravages of the barbarian invaders. It is generally agreed that resistance to the Saxons was first organized by Romans, or Romanized Britons, presumably on Roman lines ...

For their battle standard no emblem was more natural than the familiar Dragon of the Roman cohort." "The Welsh, as a distinct people, may be said to date from about the seventh century, when the advance of the Saxons to the Bristol Channel and the Mersey isolated them from the rest of Celtic Britain. The 'Historia Brittonum,' of about 800 A.D. (traditionally ascribed to the scholar Nennius), which drew on earlier sources, described a Red Dragon as the symbol of the British people in their wars against the White Dragon of the Saxons. ... Early in the Welsh literary tradition, in the tale 'Lludd a Llefelys,' this Red Dragon is associated with Merlin, who gives counsel to the earliest kings in Briton." "From the very first records of the Welsh language the words 'draig,' 'dragon' mean 'warrior' and great warriors are referred to as 'pendraig,' 'pendragon,' i.e. 'chief dragon'." "The only thing that remains unclear about the early British dragon is its colour. According to Nennius, the dragon of the Britons is red. ...

The national dragon of Mediaeval Wales may be red, or firey, or golden. ... It may be that his colour was not yet fixed, though he was thought to resemble fire, his most natural element: for the colours, on those occasions when colour is mentioned, are those appropriate to fire, and never any other." "While the warriors, chiefs and princes of Wales were constantly called 'dragons', we do not have any clear evidence to prove that they ever used a dragon, let alone a red dragon, as a military standard at any time before the fifteenth century. It is perfectly likely that it may have happened, but the literary and historical documents which we have contain no unambiguous reference to the use of a dragon banner by Welsh resistance fighters until 1401." "The arms of Llewelyn's [the Last, proclaimed the first Prince of Wales in 1258, died 1282] father, Gruffudd ap Llywelyn Fawr [of the royal house of Gwynedd], were sketched by Matthew Paris (died 1259) and they show, quarterly or and gules (i.e. gold and red) four lions passant counterchanged. ...

there is no dragon in the arms of Gwynedd. ... there is more reason to suppose that Llywelyn fought under the traditional Lions of Gwynedd, like other leaders of Gwynedd both before and after him, up to Owain Glyndwr and the Tudors." An "englyn" written at the time refers to Llywelyn and his army, "There is my lord Llywelyn and tall warriors follow him; a thousand, a host in green and white." "These are the colours in which the Black Prince, Edward of Woodstock, was to dress his Welsh contingent at Cr�cy in 1346: these men were, as D.L. Evans remarked, 'the first troops to appear on a continental battlefield in national uniform.' Thus, by the middle of the fourteenth century, green and white appear to have been understood as the national colours of Wales; they were to be used later by Henry Tudor as the field for the Red Dragon, and they remain to this day the colours of the national flag, upon which the Red Dragon is set." "Owain Glendwr, ...

in 1401-04 succeeded in conquering virtually the whole of Wales." "One of the earliest great successes of his career was his siege of Caernarfon (2nd November 1401), at which he unfurled his banner, displaying a golden dragon on a white field, as the chronicler Adam of Usk records: 'in multitudine glomerosa vexillum suum album cum dracone aureo ibidem displicuit'." "From 1404 onward we hear no more of Owain's use of the dragon emblem. It seems that, having become established as Prince of Wales and successor to Llywelyn, he now preferred to display the Lions of Gwynedd." "Throughout the Middle Ages the colour of the Dragon fluctuates between gold and red. This, like so much else, is a legacy from Geoffrey of Monmouth, for while the dragon of the Britons seen by Ambrosius is plainly red ('rubeus draco'), the one displayed by Uther Pendragon [legendary father of Arthur] is gold ('vexillum, aureus draco').

The princes of Gwynedd, whose family colours were red and gold, had no reason to prefer one colour to the other." Jasper, son of Owain Tudor (along with his brother Edmund) used "a red blunt-tailed dragon" as crest and supporter to his arms and on his seal. He "campaigned long and hard, leading the Welsh Lancastrians against the Yorkist English king. Though repeatedly driven into hiding or exile, he showed great resilience and kept returning to the attack. He earned great praise from the poets ... Deio ap Ieuan Du (c.1460-80) refers to Jasper's patriotic struggle when he produced the line which was later to become famous as motto of the nation: 'Y draig coch, ddyry cychwyn' ('the Red dragon advances')." "When Henry Tudor [Jasper's nephew] with his allies faced King Richard III at Bosworth [1485], one of his three battle standards showed 'a red firye drag� beaten vp� white and grene sarcenet'. ... After his victory Henry rode with these three standards to St.

Paul's cathedral in London, where they were blessed: they are described thus in the 'Chronicle of London', referring to 27th August 1485: oon was of the Armys of Seynt George, the secund a Red ffyry dragon peyntid upon white and Grene Sarcenet, and the third was a Baner of Tarteron bett wyth a dun cowe. Thus, side by side, Henry honored St. George of England, the Red Dragon of Wales, and the family arms of the Lancastrian house of Beaufort. Another chronicler tells of Henry's standard showing a Red Dragon passant, breathing flames, upon a field divided horizontally green and white, with a background of flames, white and red roses and golden fleur-de-lis." "In Wales, where the red dragon has long been keenly felt as a national symbol, it could not become the emblem of any single princely family." There is no dragon in the arms of Welsh nobility of the fourteenth century, and this has not changed subsequently. ...

Owain Glendwr used it only temporarily, and even the Tudors used it only as a supporter." It was also used as a supporter in the arms of the commonwealth. "In 1807, after the union of the parliaments of Great Britain and Ireland, it was declared that 'a red dragon passant standing on a mound should be the King's badge for Wales'." "... in 1953, Queen Elizabeth II decreed that the royal badge for Wales should be augmented, and to its red dragon there was added the famous motto 'Y ddraig goch ddyry cychwyn'. This augmented badge was placed on a white flag and flown over government buildings on appropriate occasions. But in 1958 the Gorsedd of Bards expressed the wish that the Red Dragon flag be recognised as the national flag of Wales, instead of this augmented badge. Accordingly, in 1959 Her Majesty commanded that in future 'only the Red Dragon on a green and white flag should be flown on Government buildings in Wales and in London where appropriate'. The augmented badge was to continue in use for other purposes, i.e.

for its display as a badge in accordance with established heraldic procedure." "The red dragon, from early times, has been the national symbol of Wales -- at rugby stadiums and battle-grounds; as royal heraldry and as newspaper logos. Today, the flag is held proudly as a mark of national identity and a reminder of a colourful and prestigious history." Dave Martucci, 28 February 2000 13th Century Around the time of King John of England and Llewelyn ap Gruffydd, if flags as such were in use by the early 13th century, then the flag used by Llywelyn ap Gruffudd would be the same as that used by his ancestor Llywelyn ab Iorwerth at the time of King John. In effect, this was the banner of the royal arms of Gwynedd, quaretered with a red lion passant-guardant(?) on a yellow background in the first and fourth quarters and the colours reversed on the second and third quarters. The same flag was also used by Owain Glyndwr.

It is far too early to talk about national emblems at this period of history, though, and what arms and banners did exist were connected with the ruler and his family rather than with the nation. Stephan Hurford, 28 February 2000 The Dragon's colour I seem to remember that the reason was also due to the battle between the Red Dragon and the Blue Dragon. This was portrayed at the Cardiff Garden Festival some years ago and given as the reason for the Red Dragon of Wales. Dave Davies, 13 March 2003 White, I think, not Blue. This was most recently referred to publicly at the enthronement of the new Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, who is Welsh and the former Archbishop of Wales. See under Morse (clasp). Andr� Coutanche, 13 March 2003 I recall the Arthurian legend about the birth of Merlin, in which he prophesized a battle between a red dragon and a blue one. The blue one won, symbolizing how an evil Saxon king would be defeated by his Celtic enemies. Of course, this can all change depending on which side (Celtic vs. Saxon, Saxon vs.

Norman/Viking, Celtic vs. Roman, Christian vs. pagan) you say Arthur was on. Nathan Lamm, 13 March 2003 National Symbols of Wales | Dragon, Choir, Feathers, Daffodil Search National symbols of Wales National Symbols National symbols of Wales The story of Wales is long and, at times, confusing. That would go some of the way towards explaining why the emblems of Wales include a dragon, a vegetable, a spoon and a funny-shaped ball. The Welsh national flag Welsh Flag It took until 1959 for the Welsh national flag to be officially unfurled for the first time. The significance of the dragon in Welsh culture is believed to date back to Arthurian legend when Merlin had a vision of a red dragon (representing native Britons) fighting a white dragon (the Saxon invaders). The use of green and white refer to the colours of the House of Tudor, the 15th century royal family of Welsh origin.

The red dragon won the battle, just in case you were wondering… Welsh male voice choirs The 450-strong South Wales Choral Union of Aberdare is credited as popularising the Welsh male voice choir tradition after winning The National Music Union Brass And Choral Event in consecutive years during the 1870s. Welsh choral singing is instantly recognisable, with different pockets of the choir singing different parts. Traditional bedrocks of the movement include Treorchy and Morriston and the more recent success of Only Men Aloud has ensured that the male voice choir tradition is as popular with audiences as ever. by Howie Mudge In 2007 the distinctive bird of prey was voted the most popular bird among the people of Wales. Less than a century ago there were just two breeding pairs in the country, but the breed’s remarkable recovery means there are over a hundreds to be seen soaring over rural areas of Wales. Several red kite feeding stations also offer visitors the opportunity to get (relatively) up close and personal with these magnificent birds. Prince of Wales’ Feathers Three white feathers are encircled with a coronet, inscribed with the German words Ich Dien (‘I serve’).

This is the emblem of the Prince of Wales, the Heir Apparent to the British and Commonwealth crown. Direct historic links with Wales are fairly sketchy. Nonetheless, the Three Feathers are proudly worn on Welsh rugby shirts. The Welsh language Bi-lingual road signs in Powys, Mid Wales The native language of Wales is spoken by three-quarters of a million people – most in Wales, but also in England, the USA, Canada and Argentina. There are few Welsh-only speakers and traditionally, Welsh has been the language of rural Wales; but it is increasingly popular within urban populations. Bilingual road signs and the Welsh language television channel, S4C, are just a couple of examples of the language in common use you’re sure to see on your visit here. The Welsh harp We can make life a little complicated for ourselves from time to time. As if to illustrate this the triple harp has three rows of strings rather than one. The Italians invented this particular instrument of melody during the 17th century, but a 100 years later it was widely known as the Welsh harp.

Other varieties of harps are believed to have been played in Wales since the 11th century and gifted exponents of the art, such as Elinor Bennett and Catrin Finch among others, continue to inspire audiences and aspiring musicians. The leek Leeks at Brecon Food Festival, Brecon Beacons This humble root vegetable is cited as a symbol of Wales in William Shakespeare’s Henry V. Historical evidence also exists that the Tudor dynasty issued leeks to be worn by their guards on March 1, known as St David’s Day in honour of the patron saint of Wales. There is also plenty of entertaining folklore and guesswork why the Welsh are inextricably linked with the leek. The 7th century king of Gwynedd, Cadwaladr, is said to have ordered his men into battle wearing them for identification purposes, but whatever the origins, we grow plenty of them and they taste lovely. The Welsh lovespoon A handcrafted gift made of a solid block of wood, the tradition of a male admirer crafting a lovespoon for a young woman indicated to the woman’s family that he was skilled and capable with his hands.

The oldest existing lovespoon in Wales dates back to 1667 and can be seen at the wonderful St Fagans: National History Museum . Each specific carving on the spoon is symbolic, from the eternal love of the Celtic knot, to the twisted stem indicating togetherness. The daffodil Daffodils This is one for those who believe that contemporary culture is all style over substance. The origins of the national flower of Wales appears to be as an attractive interloper, introduced during the 19th century, as a replacement for the humble leek. David Lloyd George, the only Welshman to serve as Prime Minister, was a public advocate of the Narcissus (its Latin name) and its appearance in early spring as a symbol of nature’s optimism neatly coincides with St David’s Day on March 1. A more unusual link is that daffodils are grown commercially in Mid Wales to produce galantamine for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Rugby Union The National Flag of Wales - The Welsh Dragon Flag The National Flag of Wales - The Welsh Dragon Flag Telephone: History The National flag of Wales was adopted in 1959.

The National flag of Wales consist of two horizontal stripes of white and green colour with a large red dragon in the center. Sewn flags are manufactured from MoD approved woven polyester flag fabric with the design (where present) either printed or appliqued in MoD approved knitted polyester flag fabric. All flags are supplied complete with headband, rope and toggle or alternative fixing/finish of your choice and ready to fly. Printed flags are also available.

Prices Premium MoD Sewn Woven Fabric Digitally Printed MoD Knitted Fabric 0.5 Yard - 1ft 6in x 1ft - 46 x 30 cms £25.00 »BUY 0.75 Yard - 2 ft 3in x 1ft 6in - 68 x 45 cms £29.00 »BUY 1 Yard - 3ft x 1ft 6in - 91 x 45cms £34.00 »BUY 1.5 Yard - 4ft 6in x 2ft 3in - 137 x 68 cms £48.00 »BUY 2 Yard - 6ft x 3ft - 180 x 90 cms £65.00 »BUY 2 Yard - 6ft x 4ft - 180 x 120 cms £73.00 »BUY 2.5 Yard - 7ft 6in x 3ft 9in - 225 x 112cms £86.00 »BUY 3 Yard -

 9ft x 4ft 6in - 270 x 135 cms £112.00 »BUY 4 Yard - 12ft x 6ft - 360 x 180 cms £189.00 »BUY 5 Yard - 15ft x 7ft 6in - 450 x 225 cms £307.00 »BUY 6 Yard - 18ft x 9ft - 540 x 270 cms £426.00 »BUY Wales - The Flag Institute You are here: Home > Wales Wales White, Green 354, Red 186 Certification: Queen Elizabeth II Notes: The flag design predates its official adoption in 1959 by several hundred years.

A short lived version which had the dragon on a green mound within a ribbon reading “Y ddraig goch ddry cychwyn” was introduced in 1953. Duncan Stewart 5 April 2015 at 10:24 am # Correction required – third word reads as shown here “Y Ddraig Goch Ddyry Cychwyn”. / Email (will not be published) (required) Website Search the Flag Institute website Flag Days Recent Tweets from the Flag Institute: Flag Institute Tweets Fiji to keep current national flag #FIJ ( @Alex_Crouch_92 ) Middlesex leading the way for #TeamGB To all our followers across the UK - don't forget to vote today #EUreferendum Love, battles and deities: Is the end nigh for county slogans? For more information of how the US flag has changed over time, take a look at this timeline: #FlagDay How to Contact Us Data Wales : The Welsh Dragon The dragon has long been a symbol of Wales. It features (in its proper red colour) on the national flag and is often to be found marking goods of Welsh origin. How did this exotic oriental beast find its way to Wales?

The dragon was perhaps first seen in Wales in Roman times. The Romans were thought to have gained knowledge of the dragon from their Parthian enemies (in lands later to become part of the great Persian Empire) and it is to be seen carved on Trajan's column. It is possible that the dragon had been seen in the West much earlier than this, as a result of Alexander the Great's epic journey which commenced it 334 B.C. Alexander marched as far as northern India and after his death, the break up of his mighty empire saw an increase in trade with Africa and India and for the first time commerce with China. The Roman draco was a figure fixed by the head to the top of a staff, with body and tail floating in the air and was the model for the dragon standard used by the Anglo Saxons. In the Bayeux Tapestry, this device is depicted as the standard of King Harold, although written records seem to disagree. In 1190 "the terrible standard of the dragon" was borne before the army of Richard Coeur-de-Lion in an attack at Messina.

The seventh century Welsh hero Cadwaladr carried the dragon standard and the dragon had become a recognised symbol of Wales by the time Welsh archers were serving in the English army at the battle of Crecy in 1346. It is said that a dragon banner was thrown over the Black Prince when he was unhorsed at Crecy, in protection while his enemies were beaten off. The future King Henry VII carried the dragon banner at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485. This battle signalled the end of the War of the Roses between Lancastrian and Yorkist factions and led to unification. Henry later decided that the red dragon should figure on the official flag of Wales. | John Weston / Data Wales 2000 Wales Flag | Welsh Dragon Flag | The Flag Makers UK Wales Red Dragon Flag The flag of Wales consists of a red dragon passant on a green and white field. World Flag of UK Wales Red Dragon We make Welsh Dragon flags that are use on many different flag products. UK Wales Flags Can Be Used For: Sporting Events, World Cups, Olympics ! Ideal for parties/social events! Professional and stylish for company meetings! Sporting Events, World Cups, Olympics ! Schools and Colleges.

Small or Large Flags (Most Popular) Cape Flags Car Mirror Socks (Most Popular) Car Antenna Flags Wales (United Kingdom) This page is part of © FOTW Flags Of The World website Wales (United Kingdom) See also: image of a 1:2 dimensions flag by Juan Manuel Villascan, 17 March 2006 The officially recommended ratio is 3:5. Christopher Southworth, 19 March 2006 The official colour recommendations (which will be appearing in the new Edition of BR20) are PMS 186 for red, and PMS 354 for green. Christopher Southworth, 10 June 2006 United Kingdom Origin of Y Ddraig Goch Y Ddraig Goch (the red dragon) is the national flag of Wales, and has been officially recognised as such since the 1950s. The white-over-green field is in the livery colours of the Tudors, the Welsh dynasty that once sat on the English throne.

Roy Stilling, 27 November 1995 Conventional wisdom is that the 'draco' standards of the Romans were adopted by the Britons, probably as a metal (possibly real gold) head with a windsock type of body made of silk. In the mouth was a whistling type device that would make sounds as it was waved with vigor. Supposedly used by King Arthur, certainly used by the Wessex lords in the 700s, the emblem has been used by Britons right up to the present time. Dave Martucci, 27 January 1998 See further details at History of Welsh Flags Today the dragon is the most prominent Welsh symbol. It is an ancient symbol, already prominent across England and Wales in the years after the departure of the Romans. With the invasions of the Angles and Saxons, the ancient Britons and their dragon symbol was pushed back towards Wales. The dragon has always been a symbol of a people, not an individual. Robin Ashburner, ICV York, July 2001 Is there evidence to demonstrate when or how the modern Welsh flag attained its present form?

We know that it did exist at the time of the investiture of Edward, Prince of Wales, in 1911 (at which time the authorities were insisting that it was not the correct Welsh flag) but where did it come from and when? Kenneth Fraser, 19 November 2011 The Welsh dragon was used in the royal arms in the 15th Century, but with the Union of the Crowns of Scotland and England in 1605, when James VI (Scotland) became James I (England), the Welsh influence seems to have disappeared. This was perhaps because by this time Wales was simply considered as part of England, or possibly to allow the fleur de lys of France to occupy a quarter on the Royal arms, retaining England's (now the United Kingdom's) claim to large areas of France. In the 1950's the dragon became more often seen. There has been some debate about the direction the tail points - older flags (i.e. mid-20th Century) could have it pointing up or down, but an article in the Welsh newspaper, the Western Mail, ridiculed the downward pointing tail, and today as a result it is always seen pointing upwards.

Robin Ashburner, at ICV, York, July 2001 In February 1959, the Queen directed that henceforth the flag to be flown on government buildings would consist only in the red dragon on a green and white flag, rather than the 1953 badge, as was being done occasionally. Francois Velde, 11 August 2003 While the ancient heraldic origins of the emblems on the current Welsh flag are quite clear, I have never seen an explanation of the manner in which these were turned into a national flag. I know it must have existed in 1911 because I have seen a reference to a statement by the College of Arms (in the context of the investiture of Edward, Prince of Wales) that said it was NOT the proper Welsh flag. I suspect it to be a 19th century derivative of the Tudor royal badge and colours. Somebody in Wales must know the full story.

Kenneth Fraser, 19 May 2014 It seems that a red dragon on a white over green field came to be recognised as the national flag of Wales over the course of the first two or three decades of the 20th Century. The October 1917 �Our Flag Number� of the National Geographic Magazine has an illustration of the Welsh Flag with, �Not until the 20th century was it officially restored as proper only to the race of Uther Pendragon. Under the reign of Edward VII (1901-1910) it was incorporated into the armorial bearings of the Prince of Wales.� Frederick Warne were the principle British publishers of books about flags in the 20th Century. The first book in the �Flags of the World� series, published in about 1896, has no reference to a Welsh flag of any description. The next edition in 1915 has a passing reference to �the red dragon of Wales�, and also that �in 1801 it was decreed that the badge of ...... Wales should be the red dragon with expanded wings.� No other reference to a Welsh flag.

The edition was reprinted a number of times with supplements, but the 1929 supplement had no additional references to Wales. It was not until the new edition of 1939 that we have, �Wales .... has a fine national flag, on horizontal halves of white over green is the Red Dragon of Cadwallader.� Warne also published �National Flags� by E.H.Baxter in 1934, and this does have an entry for Wales. �The Welsh National Flag is composed of two equal horizontal strips, white over green, on which is a large red dragon passant. On St David�s Day (March 1st) the Welsh Flag is flown with the Union Flag on certain official Buildings.� Cumberland Clark�s 1926 book about the flags of England and the Empire has no reference to a Welsh flag, but his 1934 book �The Flags of Britain� has; �Those who happen to be in Wales on Saint David�s Day will catch a glimpse of a British banner that is rarely seen beyond the boundaries of Cambria.

The national flag of Wales has a horizontally halved white over green background, with the famous Red Dragon over all.� The earliest reference to �Welsh Flag� or �Flag of Wales� in the document titles on the website of the National Archives is 1925; HO 144/22962, Flying of Red Dragon Flag of Wales. Searching for �Red Dragon� brought up a slightly earlier one of 1910-11; PC 8/706; Proposal for incorporating the Welsh red dragon in the royal standard: new design for the prince of Wales. David Prothero, 22 May 2014 Early Versions of Ddraig Goch image by Mark Sensen, 18 July 1999 A variant of the Welsh flag had a white field with the dragon standing on a patch of green grass. It is referred to by Carr (1961) , p. 66) thus: In passing, it should be recorded that a slightly different version was used by all Government Offices in London, namely, a white flag charged with the Red Dragon on a green verge, as recognized by the College of Arms.

Roy Stilling, 18 July 1999 I scanned the image from the 1956 edition , p. 59, and coloured it. Mark Sensen, 18 July 1999 image by Mark Sensen, 18 July 1999 Carr (1961) , p. 66, states: ... it was announced on March 11th, 1953, that Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II had approved that 'the existing red dragon badge, which was appointed as a Royal Badge for Wales over one-hundred-and-fifty years ago, should be honourably augmented by enclosing it in a scroll carrying the words Y DDRAIG GOCH DDYRY CYCHWYN in green lettering on a white background and surmounting it a Royal Crown. The motto (taken from a 15th-century Welsh poem), when freely translated, means 'the Red Dragon inspires action'. The new flag has the white over green field with the new Royal Badge, in generous proportions, superimposed in the centre thereof. The proportions of the field are five by three and the charge occupies two-thirds the depth of the hoist.

I scanned the badge from the 1965 edition by Barraclough, p. 68, coloured it, and placed it on the flag according to the above description. Mark Sensen, 18 July 1999 The badge on the "Banner with the augmented" dragon was the symbol of the Welsh Office, but that body no longer exists as its powers were taken over by the new National Assembly in 1999. The flag itself enjoyed a very brief period of enforced popularity soon after its design was mooted in the late 50's early 60's but it is now obsolete. Stephan Hurford, 28 February 2000 'Y ddraig goch ddyry cychwyn!' does have another meaning, which is why, according to an article in the current Flagmaster, it lasted for only six years as part of an 'honourable augmentation' to the Welsh emblem. It was explained that in ancient times Welsh poets made requests for special favours in a particular verse-form, the cywydd gofyn.

Evans Jones had found such a cywydd in which the phrase, 'Y ddraig goch ddyry cychwyn' appeared for the first time. It was a peasant's request to a wealthy neighbour for the service of the neighbour's bull to mate with the peasant's cow. The 'red dragon' which was to give impetus, I leave to your imagination. David Prothero, 27 January 1998 An image of a printed flag in soft thin cotton, showing the red dragon of Cadwaladr, King of Gwynedd, passant on a Tudor inspired green and white field can be found at (archived here ). The textile is in good aged, as found, condition with a beautiful genuine fade across the fabric, the greens and reds having a fantastic translucent quality. The cotton does not suffer from any holes or tears. The pole finial is original, and at the other end there is a small amount of loss to the pole. The Welsh flag was granted official status in 1959, but the red dragon itself has been associated with Wales for centuries, though the origin of the adoption of the dragon symbol is now lost in history and myth.

A possible theory is that the Romans brought the emblem to what is now Wales during their occupation of Britain in the form of the Draco standards born by the Roman cavalry, itself inspired by the symbols of the Dacians or Parthians. The green and white stripes of the flag were additions by the House of Tudor, the Welsh dynasty that held the English throne from 1485 to 1603. Green and white are also the colours of the leek, another national emblem of Wales. One would actually be hard pressed to find a much older Welsh flag. David Lawrence, 22 February 2016 The Absence of the Welsh Dragon on the Union Jack It is often noted that there is no representation of the Welsh flag on the Union Jack or Royal Standard. The reasons for this are historical - when Edward I defeated Llewelyn, he included Wales in an amalgamated kingdom, and made his son, the future Edward II the Prince of Wales. Edward, Prince of Wales', flag was quartered red lion on yellow and yellow lion on red, and is known as the flag of Llewelyn.

This flag, with an escutcheon of a green shield with a crown, is used today by Charles as Prince of Wales. The emblem of three feathers and the motto "Ich Dien" was not acquired until the time of Henry I's grandson, who slew the king of Bohemia and assumed his arms. Robin Ashburner, ICV York, July 2001 I have read (but would have to check the reference) that [the origin of the three feathers from the King of Bohemia] is a myth, and that Edward the Black Prince in fact inherited both the arms incorporating three ostrich feathers (silver on a black shield) and the motto ("Ich Dien", perfectly ordinary German for "I serve") through his mother. Certainly the Black Prince used the feather arms in tournaments, referring to the black shield as his shield for peace. The shield for war was, of course, his arms of France quartering England with the label of three points that denoted the king's eldest son. "Ich Dien" remains to this day in the arms of the Prince of Wales, appearing below Prince Charles's shield instead of the usual royal "Dieu et mon droit".

Being a member (ex officio as Prince of Wales) of the Order of the Garter, Charles also has the Garter around his shield, bearing the order's motto of "Honi soit qui mal y pense". Mike Oettle, 14 January 2002 The British Union Jack was formed by the union of the flags of Scotland and England when the crowns of Scotland and England were united in 1605 by the accession of James VI of Scotland to the throne of England (as James I of England). Thus we have the " United Kingdom ". Wales was already subsumed as a principality in England long before that, so was never considered to have a "portion" of the flag. That is why we talk about the Principality of Wales, but the Kingdom of Scotland. Wales was united with England under the Statute of Wales, passed on 19 February 1284. Union with England was entrenched with the passage of Acts in 1535 and 1543 whereby parliamentary taxation was extended to Wales, and English common law applied in the principality.

Mike Oettle, 8 July 2004 Prince of Wales's standard The following report is taken from BBC News Online dated 20 May 1999: Buckingham Palace has backed down and agreed to fly the Prince of Wales's flag alongside the Queen's at the official opening of the new Welsh Assembly ... The change of heart means the Royal Standard - the Queen's own flag - will fly side by side with that of Prince Charles's for the first time in living memory ... The original decision had threatened to cause offence to many Welsh people since the Royal Standard carries symbols of England, Scotland and Ireland, but not Wales ... Each member of the Royal Family has an official flag, which is flown to denote their presence. By convention only the most senior member's flag can be hoisted. But with both the Queen and Prince Charles due to attend the opening of the assembly in Cardiff, efforts had been made behind the scenes to break with protocol and raise the flags together. The last time it happened is thought to be at least 400 years ago.

The reversal was welcomed by Robin Ashburner, one of the UK's foremost vexillologists (flag experts), who had been consulted on the arrangements for the display above the National Museum of Wales in Cardiff. Mr. Ashburner, a native of Wales, had recommended the Royal Standard and the prince's flag of four 'Llewellyn lions' fly together in an effort to smooth over Welsh sensibilities. 'I am very pleased that the palace has decided to regain the initiative on this,' he said ... Dr John Davies, author of the Penguin History of Wales, has said raising the prince's flag was a matter of gesture to the Welsh. 'I don't think most people would know what the prince's flag even looks like, but there is a principle at stake,' said Dr Davies. Jan Oskar Engene, 21 May 1999 Wales Flag - World Flags 101 - Wales Flags Proportions: 2:3 Welsh Flag Description: The flag of Wales consists of two horizontal halves - the top half is white and the bottom half is green. In the center of the Welsh flag is a red dragon. The exact representation of the dragon is not standardized and many different interpretations exist.

Advertiser Links [ what's this? ] Welsh Flag Meaning: There are many legends, rumors and myths about the Welsh flag and none of them are official. It is believed the red dragon represents ancient warriors. Welsh Flag History: The Welsh flag has been officially been recognized as the national flag of Wales since 1959, but the red dragon has been associated with Wales for hundreds of years. It is often claimed to be the oldest national flag still in use. The origin of the Welsh flag is now lost in history, rumors and myth, but a likely theory is that the Romans took the dragon emblem with them during their occupation of Britain, but it could be even older. The flag's green and white stripes were added by the House of Tudor, the Welsh dynasty that held the English throne from 1485 to 1603. Interesting Welsh Flag Facts: In Welsh the flag is called 'Y Ddraig Goch' which means 'the red dragon'. Wales was united with England in 1284. Therefore there is no separate Welsh representation on the British Union Jack flag, which represents England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. World FlagsAlphabetical list of all world flags.

W The Welsh dragon: The most important object in Welsh history? - Wales Online Is the Welsh dragon the most important object in Welsh history? Share Get daily updates directly to your inbox + Subscribe Thank you for subscribing! Could not subscribe, try again laterInvalid Email I’m not Welsh. I arrived here about five years ago with no knowledge whatsoever of Welsh history or culture. What I did do immediately, however, was buy a UK registration plate for my car with an image of the Welsh dragon. Not for a moment did I consider the reasons for that decision, but it was an aspect of Welsh culture to which I was able to relate. A few months later, having driven my car to the continent to visit relatives, I was waiting in front of a red light. The driver of the car in front of me suddenly got out and raced to his boot. I was slightly puzzled, until he revealed... a Welsh flag! Excitedly, he waved it around in between our cars, until beeping cars behind me made him jump back in his car and drive off. Fleeting though this moment was, somehow the image of the Welsh flag was able to create an immediate sense of connection between two strangers. Identity is a strange thing.

In Cymraeg, “Cymru” means “land of fellow countrymen”; in English, “Wales” means “land of foreigners”: two contrasting definitions; one nation. In a country divided by its languages, football allegiance, politics, and geography, few symbols seem able to unite the nation – among these, the dragon spans the crown. So, in a country which incorporates both community and foreignness, perhaps it is not wholly inappropriate for a foreigner to discuss its most iconic object and symbol. In order to understand the object of the Welsh flag, we will need to dig deep in Welsh and indeed world history, beginning thousands of years ago, with dragons. Before we dig, however, we need to understand what it is we are digging for. An introduction to Welsh History Month What’s in a name? The English word “dragon” and the Welsh “draig” are both derived from the ancient Greek word drakon, which basically means “large serpent”. This does not mean that there were no stories of dragons before the ancient Greeks, but that this particular word merely became common in many languages.

To us, the Welsh dragon seems quite typical in its dragon-like appearance with four legs and wings, but in many cultures, what we call dragons were essentially large serpents, as iconography from ancient Mesopotamia, Greece, and Egypt suggests. Other words in English attest to this serpent-like original nature of the dragon. One alternative to the word “dragon” is worm. There are many folktales featuring worms in Britain, and a famous Welsh example is Worm’s Head at Rhossili on the Gower, which – incidentally – looks more like a giant sea serpent than a stereotypical dragon. Another Welsh term is the gwiber: nowadays used for a viper, in former days this term was used for flying serpents particularly prone to terrify people in the Glamorgan area. Other English terms include basilisk (literally “the king of serpents”), wyvern (a cognate of the gwiber), and knucker. As belief in dragons faded in the 19th century, however, so did these exotic terms. From the Middle Ages, dragons were increasingly represented along the lines of the Welsh flag, whether four-legged or two-legged, and often with wings.

It is in this context that we need to look for the origins of the Welsh flag. The Welsh flag and the Union Jack The flag in its current format – with “a red ffyry dragon peyntid upon white and greene sarcenet” (“a red fiery dragon painted upon white and green silk”) – first saw the light of day on August 22, 1485, at the battle of Bosworth Field, when Henry Tudor defeated Richard III. In this flag, Henry combined the dragon – already a symbol associated with the Welsh – with the green and white colours which had been used as Welsh military colours independently of the dragon from the 13th century onward. Since this first appearance of the Welsh flag, its prominence in Welsh history has fluctuated greatly. While it was held in great esteem during the Tudor reign, it was forgotten by the Stuarts whose arms contained a unicorn instead. The red dragon was not in any way included in the first Union Flag designed in 1606 to mark the union with Scotland, nor in 1801 when the British flag was redesigned to include Ireland.

In fact, it was not until 1807 that the British parliament decided that “a red dragon passant standing on a mound” would be the king’s badge for Wales (the term “passant” means it walked with the right forepaw raised). As political pressure from an increasingly nationalistic Wales grew, Queen Elizabeth, in 1953, decreed that the badge for Wales was to be augmented (meaning it was modified, as a mark of honour) with the motto “Y ddraig goch ddyry cychwyn”, which translates as “the red dragon advances”. The Welsh refusal of this new flag, however, was absolute, and the Tudor flag continued to be used by the people at sports and cultural events. When officials refused to grant its appearance on St David’s Day on the grounds that “there is no such thing as a Welsh national flag”, the Western Mail rebuked with the title “The Red Dragon banned again!”.

Protest flared up, and after a forceful campaign by the Gorsedd (the unofficial assembly of Welsh bards), the Queen was forced to intervene: in 1959, she finally conceded that, without needing to seek permission from the crown, “only the Red Dragon on a green and white flag should be flown on Government buildings in Wales”. The earliest Welsh flags This is a summary version of events leading up to the acknowledgement of the Welsh flag. What the motto and the Western Mail’s headline emphasise is the prominence of the red dragon on the Welsh flag: both suggest that, for the Welsh people, the flag was equated to the dragon. In other words, the flag was the dragon. As pointed out, however, Henry Tudor cleverly united the background colours with the red dragon, both of which had been connected with the Welsh independently before. The earliest Welsh uses of the heraldic dragon, however, were most likely a Roman import. In the Roman army, the dragon was the traditional symbol of the cohort, the basic military unit which was used throughout the Roman Empire (the Romans themselves borrowed this custom from the Indians and Parthians).

The Welsh did not have a monopoly on the heraldic use of the dragon, and many Celtic and Germanic tribes used this image. Indeed, contradictory though it may sound, in several campaigns, the English bore the Red Dragon against the Welsh, for example by Henry III in Snowdonia in 1245. It was only when the image of St George slaying the dragon became increasingly popular in England – it had come over from the Near East where the legend originated – that the English abandoned the dragon flag. It is clear, however, that the dragon was not only a Roman import, but also native to Britain: dragon-like iconography can be found on objects from prehistoric times onwards. It has long been thought that the connection of Wales to the dragon stems from Arthurian times: according to Geoffrey of Monmouth (a Welsh historiographer from the 12th century), Arthur bore a golden dragon standard in battle. There is little evidence to support this, though the colour of the Welsh dragon does seem to have varied between gold and red: Owain Glyndwr famously bore a golden dragon at the siege of Caernarfon in 1401, thereby explicitly connecting his ancestry with the Arthurian tradition.

To find the earliest traces of a Welsh connection to the dragon, we tread firmer ground looking at the language: the first mentions of the Welsh word draig (in the sixth century) do not refer to the mythological creature, but rather to a human “leader”. This suggests a strongly developed metaphor of fierce warriors as dragons. Indeed, Welsh poets long talked about a deliverer who would free the Welsh from the English yoke, and described him as draig. It is noteworthy that no Welsh royal families had a dragon in their arms. The dragon seems to have developed as a symbol of the Welsh as a people, and perhaps that is the reason for its endurance. From flag to dragon The heraldic use of the dragon was, as discussed, common throughout Europe, though Wales is the only nation that sustained the image on its national flag. While popular opinion may equate the Welsh flag to the dragon, however, we cannot equate the dragon to the flag. The flag as object has remained relatively unchanged in its imagery since Tudor times. The Welsh dragon, in contrast, has existed in a variety of stories and images for centuries, and continues to do so, whether in sports logos, food and drinks branding, or toys.

It seems reasonable to believe that the modern branding of things as “Welsh” by means of the red dragon stems back to the flag, and to some extent, this might be so. However, we could also argue that the flag contains merely one manifestation of y ddraig goch, which has symbolised the Welsh as a people for centuries – even if it was not even always red. In its function as national flag, the image may have become iconic, but ultimately does not encompass the symbol of the Welsh dragon itself. Most Welsh people will know the story of the red dragon fighting the white dragon as symbolism of the Welsh defeating the English – few, however, seem to know the context. Let us move on, then, to the story underlying the heraldic imagery which, as we will see, is entirely unique. The earliest sources of the story are the ninth century Historia Brittonum, attributed to a Welsh monk called Nennius, and two medieval texts: Geoffrey of Monmouth's “History of the Kings of Britain” and the Mabinogion, a famous Welsh collection of medieval manuscripts. All three texts are believed to be based on much earlier tales and oral tradition. If we combine the sources, the story can be summarised as follows.

Llud and Llefelys are brothers, and kings of Britain and France respectively. When three plagues descend upon the British kingdom, Llud seeks out his brother for help. The second plague is described as a terrifying shriek, and Llefelys tells his brother that the source of the shriek is a dragon being attacked by a foreign dragon. In order to rid the country of the plague, Llud needs to dig a pit in the centre of the land and put a cauldron of mead in it. The two fighting dragons will fall into the pit, drink the mead, and fall asleep. All happens as Llefelys predicts, and Llud buries the dragons in Snowdonia. Centuries later, Vortigern, a Briton king who was ousted by the invading Picts, attempted to build a castle in Snowdonia, but every night the castle walls were torn down. Advised by his magicians to find a boy without a father and sprinkle the castle walls with his blood, Vortigern finds the child and the boy asks him to dig a pit underneath the castle, hence releasing the dragons.

The king obeys, the dragons fly forth, and after a fierce battle, the red dragon defeats the white one. The child then explains that the red dragon represents the Welsh, and the white dragon represents the English. The child predicts that the Britons will rise and drive away the intruders. It is clear that this story, which dates as early as the ninth century, already depicted the Welsh by means of a red dragon. This tale, in combination with the Arthurian imagery of the golden dragon, ultimately led to the sustained use of the dragon in Welsh heraldry. The story contains many elements that are similar to other tales throughout Europe: eyewitness reports of dragons fighting in the air, drugging dragons with alcohol, and imprisoning them, were common folklore themes. The unique element in the Welsh story, however, is the release of the dragon. This stands in stark contrast with the many stories of dragon-slaying heroes which abound in folklore around the globe: the Near Eastern St George, the ancient Greek Heracles, the Anglo-Saxon Beowulf, the Norse Siegfried, and even Tolkien’s Bilbo Baggins – dragons exist to be slain by heroes, not released.

This is to a large degree due to the Christian ideology underlying much of European folklore: in Christian thought, the serpent was rapidly equated with the devil, and so the dragon became a key symbol of evil. Heroes slaying dragons thereby symbolised the Christian god overcoming the devil. As I noted earlier, however, the heraldic dragon imagery originated in the East. There, unlike in Europe, the dragon was and is a positive symbol, often associated with wealth and power – everyone is familiar with the dragon processions taking place during Chinese New Year. Ultimately, it is impossible to trace precisely why the positive rather than the destructive image of the dragon prevailed in Wales as it did in the East, while it did not in other European stories. What we can tell is that the Welsh dragon is unique in Europe in its positive role in the formation of a nation. From legend back to reality The ending of the red dragon tale is bizarre, and one cannot help but wonder what happened to the red dragon afterwards. Did it merely fly away? The sources are silent – the dragon has played its role in predicting the future of the Welsh, and disappears from the narrative, only to survive in imagery.

I have long been bewildered by the omnipresence of the dragon in everyday life in Wales. St David’s Day gave me a perfect excuse to explore whether it is merely a stereotype, and as part of a community project, I have been running workshops on “The image of the dragon and Welsh identity” for local year 10 pupils from deprived areas, for the South West Wales Reaching Wider Partnership. The workshops so far have revealed that Welsh pupils are very proud about the dragon and feel it strongly symbolises Wales. They also felt that foreigners coming into Wales might be somewhat intimated by its aggressive stance, and this view was corroborated by a number of non-Welsh pupils. When asked what the story is underneath the symbol, however, none of the pupils were able to dig deeper than “a red dragon fought a white dragon”. To a certain extent, this is a typical example of not knowing what is at your own doorstep, of which everyone is guilty. Nevertheless, at a crisis point in Welsh as well as global history, I am surprised not more attention is paid to this deep-rooted symbol and its history. For it not only connects Wales with global symbolism, but also sets it apart as a unique and vibrant people.

Author profile: Dr Evelien Bracke I was born in Belgium, where I studied Classical Philology at Ghent University. An Erasmus Exchange programme in Ireland turned into PhD studies at the National University of Ireland, Maynooth, where I researched the notion of cunning intelligence in Greek myth – this is where I became interested in dragon stories, as the ancient Greeks described dragons as particularly cunning creatures. I am currently ancient Greek and Latin tutor in the Department of History and Classics (Swansea University), and have also developed a number of Outreach programmes, bringing ancient languages and cultures to local school children. My favourite Welsh ‘object’ must be the ruins of Carreg Cennen Castle near Llandeilo. The steep and windy climb to the castle, the breath-taking views upon arrival, the descent into the cave, and the many hours my son and I have played there as knights (I’m inevitably the baddy!) make this one hard to beat. to find out more about Welsh history visit Like us on Facebook Most Read Most Recent Most Read Most Recent

Question: What colour is the dragon on the national flag of Wales?
Answer: Red